Automotive vehicle



June l, 1937. R. s TRO-r-r 2,081,965

AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE Original Filed Aug. 24, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet l l 3l y?/4 2523 2 6 /l go I 5' 3 @O 56 5 7 June l, 1937. R s, TROTT 2,081,965

. AUTOMOTIVE VEHIQLE original Filed Aug. 24, 192s 3 sheets-sheet 2INVENTOR.

June l, 1937. R. s. TRoTT 2,081,965

AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE Original Filed Aug. 24, 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INV ENTOR.

Patented June l, 1937 PATENT OFFICE AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE Rolland S. Trott,Denver, Colo.

Application August 24, 1928, Serial No. 301,819

Renewed September 28, 1935 6 Claims.

My invention relates to automotive vehicles and their power plants andmore especially to the mounting of power plants of automotive vehicles.

As is well known, the trend of the design of automobiles for some yearshas been toward higher'engine and road speeds, closed bodies, and powerplants with more cylinders.

The trend toward more cylinders has not been 10 primarily for thepurpose of obtaining more power, but to obtain a smoother running engineand thereby reduce body rumble, decrease the vibration of the steeringwheel and in general reduce the annoyance and` nerve strain of thepassengers by reason of the increased smoothness.

The multiple cylinders vprovide overlapping power impulses, and thiscombined with other improvements in the engines and their mountgo ingshas tended to minimize the amount of engine vibration felt by thepassengers. That is, the engine sensation has been reduced.

Improvements in the transmission have also tended to decrease the noiseand the vibration o when in the intermediate, low or reverse gears,

and this has further increased the comfort of riding in closed bodies.

But in even the most advanced designs the vibration of the engine isstill transmitted to the passengers, and although this engine sensationis small,y it is present, especially when the engine is pulling.

This can be proven with any automobile now on the market by placing theiinger tips gently against the body when the engine is pulling, and

again when it is not'pulling, or when the engine is dead and the car is'moving along with the transmission in neutral.

Vibrationless engines have been claimed but as yet never obtaineduas canbe proven at once by the above'mentioned finger tip test.

And even in the most expensive cars, both noise and vibration increasewhen the engine is pulling inthe intermediate, low or reverse gears; andthis in closed bodies results in an unpleasant sensation upon the eardrums.

The lobject of my invention is to provide a power plant mounting which,in the finest cars,v such as those with six or eight cylinder engines,

will` eliminate body rumble and steering wheel quiver due to engine andtransmission gear vibration.

A further object is to provide a power plant mounting which even in fourcylinder engines will practically eliminate the transmission of anyengine or gear sensation to the passengers.

A further object is lto provide a power plant mounting and vehicleconstruction in which the power plant and running gear will formapractically self-contained power unit, which may be assembled and movedabout on its Wheels in the process of manufacture before the body frameand parts mounted thereon are attached thereto.

A further object is to provi-de such a power unit construction in which,with a minimum of time and labor, different load units composed ofsprings, frame, body and fenders may be interchangeably installed uponthe power unit.

I attain the above objects by a construction which is based upon thefollowing illustration:-

If railroad sleeping cars were constructed upon a locomotive and thelocomotive engine then redesigned to operate with as little vibration aspossible, the construction would be the same in principle, as thepresent standard construction of the automotive vehicle; that is, thepassengers and the power plant are mounted upon the same frame, andrenements in the power plant are relied upon to reduce the unpleasantsensations of the passengers.

The well known smooth and pleasant sensation of riding in a railroadsleeping car is obtained by complete separation of the locomotive andthe sleeping cars, and their connection by spring draw bars only.

So, in my invention, I attain the desired objects by providing twoseparate vframes, independently mounted upon the axles of the vehicle;one frame, the power plant or engine frame, with Wheels, axles, andpower plant, forming what is called the power unit; and the other frame,the body frame, with body, Afenders and hood, forming what is called theload unit.

My invention is clearly shown in the Idrawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a plan view of a vehicle showing fragmentary portions of theradiator, hood and body, the vehicle having semi-elliptic front and rearsprings for the body frame; quarter elliptic springs for the rear of theengine frame, and a cross elliptic spring for the iront of the engineframe, the power plant frame springs being mounted on theV axles byrubber mountingsA with semi-elliptic front springs and a cross rearspring, with rubber mountings on the rear axle, and quarter ellipticfront springs and semi-elliptic rear springs for the engine frame, theengine being mounted on the engine frame by a front cross springand byrear quarter elliptic springs,

V the engine frame springs being mounted on the axles by rubbermountings, and the transmission being separate from the engine andclutch unit and mounted on the'engine frame by rubber mountings.

Figure 4 is a plan view of a front wheel drive vehicle, showing a bodyframe mounted on semielliptic front springs and quarter elliptic rearsprings and an engine frame mounted directly upon the rear axle and on across spring at the front, the engine being mounted directly on theengine frame.

Figure 5 is a plan view showing a body frame mounted on the front axleby quarter elliptic springs and on the rear axle by cantilever springs,the engine frame being mounted on the front axle by semi-ellipticsprings and on the rear axle by a cross spring, the engine unit beingmounted on the engine frame by rubber mountings, and the rear engineframe springs being mounted on the axle by rubber mountings, the frontof the engine frame being attached to its, springs by rubber mountings,and the front body springs being mounted directly on the-axle.

Figure 6 is a detail showing one form of mounting for the clutch andbrake pedals and for the emergency brake and gear shift levers on thebody frame as either one or two units.

Figure 7 shows one form of flexible connection for the connecting rodsconnecting the clutch pedal andthe gear shift lever to the power plant.

Figure 8 shows a detail of a form of rubber bumper attachable to one ofthe frames for limiting the relative movement of the two frames.

Figure 9 is a detail of one form of rubber spring mounting.

Figure 10 is a detail of one form of rubber engine mounting.

Figure 11 is a detail showing one form and position of shock absorberdevice connected between the two frames.

Figure 12 is a detail showing throttle and spark connections adapted toextend substantially horizontal between the body frame and the engine.

Figure 13 is a modied form of spark and throttle control, the ends ofwhich are to be mounted upon the body frame and the power plantrespectively.

The running gear comprises the usual front and rear axles 2 and 3, andwheels 2 and 3'. Steering gear 4 is connected withthe front wheels forsteering the vehicle and is operated from the usual steering wheel 5.

The usual' body frame is shown at 6, which in Figs. 1, 3. and 4, issupported on the front axle on semi-elliptic springs 1, and is supportedat the rear in Fig. 1 on semi-elliptic springs I0 carried by the rearaxle 3.

An engine frame is designated I4, which in Fig. 1 is mounted on a crossspring I5, the opposite ends of which are mounted on the front axle 2 byrubber mountings, such for instance as is shown in Fig. 9. The rear endsof the engine frame I4 are supported on rear quarter-elliptic springsI9, the outer ends of which are supported by rubber mountings 23 on therear axle 3. The engine unit has an engine I, and a transmission Iconnected together as a unit supported at three points on rubbermountings 23, such for instance as is shown in Fig. 10, there being twomountings at the rear of the engine, shown on opposite sides of theywheel housing and mounted on the engine frame I4 and the front mounting23 is connected with the engine in the longitudinal central ver- "ticalplane thereof, and mounts the front end of the engine directly on thecross spring I5. The engine drives the rear axle through the transmission I' and the usual propeller shaft '60, which in Figures 2 and 5 isshown as surrounded by a torque tube 6I provided with radius rods 62.The usual clutch pedal is shown in Figure 1 as carried by the engineunit and is designated 25, while the brake pedal is designated 26.v Theemergency brake lever is likewise carried by the engine unit, as shownat 2'I, and the gear shift lever is shown at 28.

In Figure 1, I have shown parts of the usual operating structure of anautomobile for purposes of illustration such for instance as theradiator designated 53 which is connected with the engine Water jacketat opposite sides through the hose 55. The hood is partially shown at54, and a part of the body at 5B. The usual exhaust pipe 5'I extendsfrom the engine to a muiiler 58, which is shown as supported by theengine frame I4. The mounting of the engine unit is such that theimpulses incident to the operation of the running engine tends to movethe engine from side to side, and the mountings provide restrainedfreedom of movement in any direction, such that vibrations of therunning engine are dissipated as much as possible and are nottransmitted to the frame to any noticeable extent.

The principal differences between the forms shown in Figs. 1 to 5-is inthe manner of supporting the respective body and engine frames 6 and I4.In Figure 2, the opposite ends of the body frame 6 are supported byfront and rear cross springs 9 and I2 mounted on the front and rearaxles 2 and 3. 'I'he engine frame I4 is supported in a manner similar tothat shown in Figure 1, namely, on a, front cross spring I5, and rubbermountings 23 connecting the ends of the cross spring I5 with the frontaxle 2 while the rear end of the engine frame I4 is supported onquarter-elliptic springs I9 and rubber mountings 23 on the rear axle 3.The engine unit is supported on rubber mountings 23 on the engine framei4 and the cross spring I5, as described above. A starting switch isshown at 49 connected with the starter and the battery 59.

In Figure 3, the body frame 6 is supported at the front on semi-ellipticsprings 'I mounted on the front axle 2 and the rear is supported on across spring I2 mounted on rubber mountings 23 on the rear axle 3. Theengine frame I4 is supported on the rear axle 3 by semi-elliptic springsand on the front axle 2 by quarter elliptic springs I6. The front of theenginey unit is supported'on the engine frame by a, rubber mounting 23which is connected with the front of the engine and mounts the same on across spring 2 I, the ends oi which are carried by the engine frame I4.Rear engine mountings comprise springs 22 mounting the rear end of theengine on the engine frame I4. The engine clutch lever is designated 35.In this form, the transmission I' is mounted independently of the engineI. The front end poruen' of the trenemieeien l' nee xeteruiy extendingarms supported on the engine frame by rub' ber mountings 23, while therear end portion of the transmission is mounted on a cross spring 22'the opposite ends of which are mounted on the engine frame by rubbermountings 23. Transmission shift rods are shown at 38 `and 31.

In Figure 4, the invention is shown applied to a iront wheel drivevehicle. The body frame 6 is mounted at the front on semi-ellipticsprings 1 and at the rear on quarter-elliptic springs II, connected with.the rear axle 3. vThe engine frame. is mounted directly on the rearaxle 3 and at the front on a cross spring I5 by rubber mountings 23.''I'he opposite ends of the cross spring are connected with the frontaxle by rubber mountings 23. The engine unit I is mounted directly onthe engine frame.

In Figure 5, the body frame 6 is mounted on the front axle byquarter-elliptic springs 8, and on the rear axle by cantilever springsI3. 'Ihe engine frame I4 is mounted on the front axle by semi-ellipticsprings I1, there being rubber mountings 23 between the engine frame andthe springs and at the rear the engine frame is mounted on a crossspring supported by the rear axle through rubber mountings 23. 'Iheengine unit I is supported at four points on the engine frame by rubbermountings 23.

For the sake of clearness as little of the details as possible have beenshownpon the main views, since any competent mechanic will be able tothoroughly understand the description by reference to the main views andthe details, and since the parts of the steering, braking, starting,lighting, ignition, carburetion, power plant, manifolding, cooling andother mechanisms and details are well known and need no illustration ordescription.

Any of the various frame and spring construction's for mounting the bodyframe upon the axles may be used; the body frame may be made separatefrom the body and mounted separately on the axles, and the bodysubsequently attached to the body frame; or the body itself may beconstructed to provide its own self-contained frame, both of whichconstructions are well known.

In this description, however, for the sake of clearness body frame isused as a generic term to indicate either the frame separate from thebody or the frame as a part of the body.

In any case, the body frame is to be attached to its springs througheither metallic or rubber mountings, and the springs properly mounted onthe axles and properly proportioned to the load upon them, and theiraction may be controlled by any of the well known rebound snubbers,shock absorbers or bumper devices, properly mounted.

The power plant unit may be mounted upon the power plant frame eitherrigidly, or on springs, o`r on rubber mountings, or on spring and rubbermountings, depending upon the judgment of the designer and theparticular conditions and the results required of each case.

'I'he power plant frame may be mounted upon springs, and the springsmounted either directly upon the axles, or mounted uponthe axles onrubber mountings; or the engine frame may even be mounted directly onthe axles if desired, but as this is inclined to make the unsprungweight excessive, I consider the construction impractical except undersome conditions for the rear axle.

mounting, or for very slow speed vehicles, or for railroad automotiveequipment.

I have shown o! rubber mountings 23 which may be usedat the variouspoints referred to above. In Figure 9. brackets are connected together'by a bolt 41 and nut 43. which bolt extends through rubber bushingcompressing flanges 43, having tapered portions extending into rubberbushings Il which are disposed within a double tapered sleeve 44 on theinside oi' a spring eye 43 which may be the eye oi' any oftheabove-mentioned body or engine' frame springs. Face washers l5' andadjustment washers 46' are disposed on opposite sides of the anges ofthe rubber bushings I5.

In the form of rubber mountings shown in Figure 10, the construction issimilar to that shown in Figure 9, except that a bracket is illustrated,adapted to be attached to the engine and provided with a mounting eye43' having a tapered opening therein receiving the rubber bushf ings l5.

The character of each of these mountings is such that the load is onlyon a part of each bushing, leaving the flange and a part of thecircumference oi' each bushing unloaded and free to resiliently opposemovement of the engine unit range from which to choose to Ilt theparticularv conditions in question, including cost.

The power plant may even be incorporated to act as a part of the powerplant frame, and to receive the front power plant springs direct; but

this, and all of the other variations, have the main point in common,that is, the power plant is independently mounted upon the axles so thatits vibration from whatever cause, before it is felt by the passengers,will have to be transmitted first to one or both of the axles and thenfrom the axles through the body frame springs to the body frame.

If a cheap construction is desired, the clutch and brake pedals and thegear shift and emergency brake levers may be mounted in the usual mannerupon the power plant as shown in Figure 1, and the relative movementbetween the power plant and the body frame held within the desiredlimits by means of any proper friction, hydraulic or other shockabsorber or snubber devices, attached to the power plant or frame and tothe body frame, and preferably having a free acting central movementpermitting the vibration of the power plant due to engine andtransmission vibration to take place independent of the body frame,while still permitting or causing the engine and body frames to movesubstantially as a unit under the action of road shocks as illustratedby theA construction showny in Figure 8, wherein a bumper bracket 38 isadapted to be secured to the engine frame I 4 and has a bifurcated end,the arms of which embrace a ange on the body frame 6 and have rubberbumper blocks 39 in position to `engage opposite sides of said flange.This structure maybe reversed, if desired, and the bracket 38 be`connected"with the body frame while a part of the engine frame extendsbetween the bumper blocks 39.

In place of such a shock absorber or snubber device both the upward andthe downward movements of the power plant with respect to the body framemay be limited as desired by properly placed rubber bumpers.

0r, the desired results may be obtained by equipping both frames withindependent shock in Figures 9 and 10,. two forms absorber or snubberdevices, connecting with one or both axles. One form of such a shockabsorber is shown in Figure 11, and is designated by the numeral 40,being secured to the respective frames 6 and I4 by mounting bolts 4I andnuts 42.

For the most complete results, however, I prefer, in addition to propershock absorber or snubbei' devices` to mount the clutch and brakepedals, the emergency brake lever and the gear shift lever, all on thebody frame, either as one unit, or with the pedals forming one unit andthe levers forming, another unit as indicated in Figure 6, wherein a rod6a extends transversely of the body frame 6 and has its opposite endsxed thereto. The clutch pedal 25', and the brake pedal 26', are mountedon the rod 6a. Also mounted on the transverse rod 6a is the gear shiftlever 28' and emergency brake lever 21', where all of these are mountedas one unit, or they may be mounted on separate transverse rods asseparate units. Gear shift rods 30 and 3I are adapted to be engaged bythe shift lever 28' for operating the gears of the transmission. Theclutch pedal and the gear shift lever are connected to the power plantby substantially horizontal rods, each provided with one or morenon-metallic exible cushion sections as indicated in Figure '7 toeliminate the transmission of vibration and to avoid noise, and topermit of the slight movement required in their operation. In Figure '7,I have shown the clutch connecting rod 29 as made in two parts with arubber cushion 23 between the ends and surrounded by a cushion tube orhose 32 secured to the adjacent ends of the sections of the connectingrod 29 by clamps 34 secured by clamp bolts 34 and nuts 34".

But, whether the other controls are mounted partly on the body frame andpartly on the power plant, or all on the body frame, or all on the powerplant, the steering gear in any case is mounted on the body frame, sothat it will be entirely free from any direct connection with andvibration from the power plant.

As will now be seen in the drawings, the body frame 6 of whatever formand construction and whether separate from or integral with the body, ismounted upon the axles by Whatever springs or combinations of springs,and with the ordinary spring bolt or metallic mounting or with rubbermountings of any proper construction, connecting the springs to the bodyframe.

The power plant frame I4, of whatever form or construction, is mountedupon the axles 2 and 3, either directly and with or without rubbermountings, or through whatever springs or combination of springs, eitherwith or Without rubber mountings since the exact details are ofrelatively small importance and subject to great variation, but in anycase the main result should be the same that the power plant frame is tobe properly mounted on the axles normally independent of the body frame.

'I'he transmission may either be a unit with the engine, or may bemounted separately upon the engine frame I4 as shown in Figure 3 andeither directly, with or without rubber mountings, or through springs,with or without rubber mountings, the main result in any case being thesame in that both engine and transmission are carried by the power plantframe.

The transmission shaft may be connected to the rear axle by either anopen propeller shaft and universal joint construction, or by a shaftenclosed in a torque tube attached to the rear axle.

The engine is connected by the exhaust pipe to the muiiler which ismounted upon the engine frame I4.

'Ihe radiator may be mounted upon the power plant or upon the powerplant frame as shown in Figure 1 and spaced slightly from the hood topermitr relative movement between them, or the radiator may be mountedon the body frame in the usual manner and extra long exible hoseconnections employed between the engine and the radiator, or shortconnections of a suiciently exible and elastic nature may be employed topermit the relative movement Which occurs, in either case the resultbeing the same in that the engine may be connected to and cooled by theradiator in spite of the differential action of the two frames.

'I'he steering wheel and gear of Whatever type or construction is to beproperly mounted on the body frame 6 and connected to the front wheelsto steer them.

And in the ordinary course of construction this power unit would be rstassembled and could then be pushed about on its own wheels during thefurther process of assembling the complete vehicle.

This rst assembly forms the power unit.

'I'he next step in the process of assembling would be to assemble thebody frame, the body, the steering gear, the fenders and running boardsand other parts that mount upon the body frame or the body.

This second assembly forms the load unit.

The next step in the assembly of the vehicle would be to mount the loadunit upon the axles of the power unit.

It will be obvious to anyone skilled in automotive vehicles that any ofthe power units shown may be combined with any desired load unitindicated so long as the final result is a vehicle having all the partsand construction required for its operation and control, and in whichthe relative movements of the two units does not interfere with theoperation and control of the vehicle.

In Figure 1, the power unit has a cross spring in front and quarterelliptic springs at the rear, and the load unit is attached to the powerunit through semi-elliptic springs all around.

In Figure 2, the power unit has a cross spring in front and quarterelliptic springs at the rear and the load unit is attached to the powerunit by front and rear cross springs.

In Figure 3, the power unit has a quarter elliptic spring in front andsemi-elliptic springs at the rear and the load unit is attached to thepowerunit by semi-elliptic springs in front and a cross spring at therear.

In Figure 4, the power unit has a cross spring in front and is rigidlyattached to the axle at the rear, and the load unit is attached to thepower unit by semi-elliptic springs in front and quarter ellipticsprings at the rear.

In Figure the power unit has a semi-elliptic spring in front and a crossspring at the rear and the load unit is attached to the power unit byquarter elliptic springs in front and cantilever springs at the rear.

As shown in Figure 1, the steering gear in any case is to be mountedupon the frame of the load unit.

If the cheap construction mentioned above is ployed the steeringconstruction, throttle and spark controls, starter switch, clutch pedal,brake pedal, emergency brake and gear shift levers, are all mounted uponthe load unit and are connected to the co-acting parts of the powerunit.

Of course, any proper combination of the cheap and the refinedconstructions may be employed that will satisfy the particularrequirements of any individual case. Y

The battery and the starter switch may either of them be mounted uponeither the power or the loadunit, and the connecting wires of the systemare each in any case to be made of the proper length to permit anymovement incident to their mounting without undue strain upon theterminals.

Either of the throttle and spark control constructions shown may beemployed or any other construction which will permit one end to bemounted on the load unit and the other end to be mounted upon the powerunit, whereby the control of the throttle and of the spark will besubstantially unaffected by any relative movement of the power and loadunits.

In Figure 12, I have shown a form of throttle and spark connections thatmay extend substantially horizontally between the body frame and theengine. A throttle and spark tube is shown at 5I having o-ne end securedto one-section of a throttle and spark rod 52, the other section ofwhich slidably extends into said tube 5|. The ends of the throttle andsparkrod sections are connected. through ilexible joints 50, shown asmade of hose secured to the parts by clamps 50' and connected with thethrottle and spark controls 52.

It will be seen by any competent mechanic that in many of the detalls ofsuch a construction there are variations and alternatives open to thedesigner by which substantially thesame results may be obtained withoutdeparting from the essence of my invention; and that there are variousconstructions and combinations of elements v which would obtainimperfect results without def parting from the essence of my invention.Therefore, I do not wish to be narrowlyv limited to the vexactconstructions illustrated .and described, but what I claim' as new anddesire to protect by Letters Patent, is as follows:-4

1. In an automotive vehicle, the combination of a frame, meanssupporting said frame including an axle supported spring, an engine unithavo'f the engine unit.

ing a portion thereof mounted on the frame, and non-metallic resilientmeans supporting another portion of the engine unit on the spring.

2. In an automotive vehicle, the combination of a frame, meanssupporting said frame including an axle supported spring, an engineunit, means mounting an end portionof the engine unit on the frame, andnon-metallic resilient means mounting the opposite end portion of theengine unit directly on the spring.

v3. In an automotive vehicle, the combination of wheel-supported axl'es,a transversely extending spring, non-metallic resilient means mountingthe opposite end portions of said spring on an axle, a frame having oneend portion mounted on said spring, means mounting the opposite endportion of said frame on the other axle, an' engine unit, andnon-metallic resilient means mounting longitudinally spaced portions ofthe engine unitl on the frame and spring.

4. In an automotive vehicle, the'combination of wheel and axle means, anengine unit, and means for mounting the engine unit on the vehiclecomprising a metallic structure, non-metallic resilient'means supportinga portion of the engine unit on said metallic structure, and.non-metallic resilient means supporting said metallic structure on thewheel and axle means of the vehicle and permitting bodily movementthereof.

5. In an automotive vehicle, the combination of 'Wheel and axle means,an engine unit, andmeans for mounting the. engineunit'on the vehiclecomprising a oating metallic member, nonmetallic resilient meanssupporting a portion of the engine unit on said metallic member, andnon-metallic resilient means supporting said metallic member on thewheel and axle means of the vehicle and permitting bodily movementthereof, said non-.metallic means being of substantial thickness andfree flowing.

6. In an automotive vehicle, the combination of wheel and axle means, anengine unit, and` means for mounting the engine unit on the velhiclecomprising a leaf-spring, non-metallic resilient means mounting aIportion of the engine v unit on said leaf-spring, and non-metallicresilient mean-s` supporting said leaf-spring on the Wheel an axle meansof the vehicle and located a substantial distance below the'first-mentioned resilient means for permitting compound motion ROLLANDs. 'mori'.

